If you want to change....

....the colour of a room, you can put some paint on the walls. If, though, you ever expect to subject your environment to any serious scrutiny, you will first have to do some preparation. Holes must be filled, cracks repaired and dirt-patches cleaned. That's tedious and time consuming. Is it really worth the effort? 

It is if you care about the result. In upholding high standards now, you are investing wisely in the long-term future.

Change in all things is sweet.   (Aristotle)

If you want someone.....

....to understand you, try your best to understand them. If you want to be shown respect, show respect. Love if you want to be loved, trust if you want to be trusted. These are simple principles. They don't always work instantly but if you apply them consistently, they will always bring good results. 

So, what should we do if we want to be criticised, complained about, argued with or taken advantage of? Why then, just follow the same rule! You don't want any of that in your life, do you?

Ability is nothing without opportunity.   (Napoleon Bonaparte)

Let's have a trip down....

....a musical memory lane - 'I want to live, I want to give, I've been a miner for a heart of gold. It's these expressions, I never give, that keep me searching for a heart of gold.' Neil Young finished each verse of this song with the phrase, 'and I'm getting old'. That was forty years ago!   

But then, 'looking for a heart of gold' is not a bad way to spend your life - and there is gold in every heart, if you are really willing to dig for it. 

Silence is the mother of truth   (Benjamin Disraeli)

Imagine a team of....

....energy efficiency experts, sitting around to consider a proposal to invent the Sun? They would never give a green light to a project like this. How crazy to place the source of light and warmth over 93 million miles away from its intended target. 

Yet, sometimes, conventional wisdom simply doesn't represent the most appropriate way to view a situation.

The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.  (Joseph Campbell)

How nice do you need to be?......

....Isn't there something false about pretending to sympathise with someone's plight whilst secretly suspecting that they may deserve all the trouble that they appear to have got themselves into? Then again, isn't there something very harsh and wrong about playing judge and jury when we haven't even heard all the submissions and seen all the evidence? Come to that, who gave you the right to do so?

It will do no harm, today, to give at least some benefit of the doubt to someone who stands accused of something.

Leaders grasp nettles  (David Ogilvy)

How well do you know someone....

....and how well do they know you? Even the most intimate, intricate relationships can't involve total telepathy and absolute empathy. Exasperating though such differences can prove at times, they are also a big part of what makes life magical. Or at least, they are as long as they don't involve people feigning a level of mutual understanding which is ultimately false. 

Sometimes the potential for trouble stems not from an actual disagreement, but from an artificial act of agreement.

No great thing is created suddenly.   (Epictetus)

Humans, in theory at least.....

....are smarter than animals. They have a greater ability to rationalise and analyse. (I did say, 'in theory'.)  They can stand back from a situation, see it from a distance, make a complicated plan and then see it through, even if that involves allowing for various unexpected developments that may require a sudden change of course. Well, that's the idea.

How smart are we all really? Not as smart as we could be. But if you now think more carefully about what is or isn't really worth doing, you may yet have a brilliant idea.

We build too many walls and not enough bridges.   (Isaac Newton)

I know some who call themselves Christian.....

....yet admit to not having much in the way of compassion.  A total contradiction, but I digress - Many years ago Buddha said something like 'Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike; each has their suffering.' 

But how are we to follow such advice today? Where are we going to get compassion from? It is not as if they sell it at the local supermarket. Indeed, they don't sell it anywhere. You can't buy it. It is something you make within yourself. If you nurture the ability to make it, you benefit in so many ways. 

It may seem easy to find fault with people - maybe even a particular person. But an effort to feel some sympathy for them will help everyone.

The only source of knowledge is experience  (Albert Einstein)

Some piercingly accurate words....

....from an old song - 'Fool if you think it's over...'  That's well observed. Never, really, do we make a clean break with anyone or anything. We can act tough. We can refuse to look back. We can draw the line and then stay on our own side of it. But a part of us will always wonder. 

And another part of us, no matter how hard we try to keep it in check, will always retain some of the passion that it once felt.

Adversity is the first path of truth.   (Lord Byron)

Faerie Queens are....

....traditionally thought to travel by riding on the backs of swans. Swans give the impression of great grace in the way that they glide across the water. In reality, their feet are paddling like crazy the whole time. It's just that we can't see this. And as for faeries, well unless we are very lucky, we can't see them at all. 

So the world is full of things that we can't see. Some are definitely there and others... well, seeing isn't always believing and believing isn't always seeing. 

Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in the mirror   (Kahlil Gibran)

Some people see themselves....

....as guardians of morality and legality. If there is a law, they want to uphold it. If there is a standard, they want to live up to it. They even get so excited about requirements and regulations, protocol and procedures, that they almost completely forget about the individuals to whom these apply. 

Don't people matter more than principles? Aren't there exceptions to every rule? What matters, is that you give your heart a fair hearing, regardless of what else is being debated.

The best way out is always through.   (Robert Frost)

Sometimes, we love our problems....

....and our difficulties just a little too much. We identify with them too closely. Instead of seeing them as factors in our lives that one day we will be free from, we start to treat them as permanent fixtures and fittings. 

This has an unfortunate psychological side-effect. The more that we imagine an issue to be inescapable or unchangeable, the more we deprive ourselves of our power to do anything constructive about it.

Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous.    (Albert Einstein)

You are entitled....

....to your dream. You are also entitled to the chance to try to make your dream come true. You may not want to do this. You may decide that your dream is providing you with a very comfortable escape mechanism. Were it to become a reality, it might also become a liability. But that is a choice for you to make. And it should be made through discrimination, not defeatism. 

If you are offered an opportunity to pursue your dream, don't be too scared to take it. 

We are rarely proud when we are alone.    (Voltaire)

Why, when we first arrive....

....in the world, does no little book of instruction come with us? Why is it not shrink-wrapped in polythene and tied to our leg? It could contain all sorts of handy information from the role we are expected to play; to a list of the people we should listen to - or avoid. Then there need be no doubt about anything. 

In the absence of such an instruction manual, what can we do but guess and trust what we feel in our heart of hearts.

If you wish to be loved, love.   (Lucius Annaeus Seneca)

When people find themselves....

....forced to do a lot of things that they don't want to do, they sometimes use the phrase 'soul destroying' to describe the experience. But whatever a soul is, if indeed anybody knows, surely it is indestructible! Faith, hope, optimism and trust, are probably similarly resilient. 

Even if these qualities are severely suppressed for a great length of time, they spring right back to life the moment they are given the slightest encouragement.

Nature does nothing in vain   (Aristotle)

When do we learn?....

....When do we grow? When do we shine? When we are placed in unfamiliar situations. It's so easy to fall into a habit pattern when everything around you is much as it ever was. Only when you are breaking new ground do you discover what you can do. 

Do you tend to resist change? Does it make you nervous? New challenges may be difficult but they may also prove to be most rewarding.

Coincidences are spiritual puns.   (G K Chesterton)

What really started the....

....great recession of 2008-2009? When the historians write it all up, they will have to mention those sub-prime loans that got so many people so worried. Future generations, reading about that, may ask, 'So did all the sub-prime creditors default?' And their teachers will say, 'No, but folk suddenly started to fear that they might do and that's when the trouble began.' 

It's amazing how a passing moment of concern can trigger an avalanche of anxiety. We should never let a small problem spiral out of control.

Adopt the pace of nature.  Her secret is patience.  (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

What is karma?....

....Is it some ancient spiritual concept? Or is it a principle that applies equally to us all, regardless of what we believe. When we are nice to people, are they not automatically made much more likely to be nice to us in return? When we treat others with suspicion or even aggression, is it not as if we somehow turn ourselves into magnets that attract similar hostility? 

All you can do is your best. No matter how negatively you view a person or situation, find and nurture a constructive perspective.

A quiet mind cureth all.   (Robert Burton)

What are we supposed to do....

....about the things that we don't approve of? Or the things we dislike? We may wish that they were different but how much power do we have to change them? If we feel we have no power, we can either grow resentful or become philosophical. Of those two less-than-ideal options, the latter is surely, by far, the healthier. 

But better yet is to make a concerted, sincere, effort to set the world to rights. Until or unless you try, how can you say for certain that such an enterprise is beyond your ability?

We live in a rainbow of chaos.  (Paul Cezanne)

They say......

......Go on, admit it.  Seeing those two words made you feel so much better, didn't it..!!!  Well, they say you can't judge a book by looking at its cover. Ah, but is this old maxim true? Perhaps someone should produce a book with a cover that says, How To Judge Books By Their Covers. That should confuse a few people. 

We read so much significance into labels, that we hardly notice contents. Wherever we see style, we assume there must be substance. 

So often we need to look beyond the obvious so that we manage to reveal a true hidden treasure.

Never confuse motion with action  (Benjamin Franklin)

People say and do the most....

....ridiculous things. Sometimes, we can hardly believe what we are seeing and hearing... We ask ourselves, 'Is it me?' But it isn't us; it is them! Always! True stupidity knows no bounds. Happily, so too does genuine magnanimity. 

You can try, for the rest of your life, to understand quite how a particular situation has arisen. You will probably never manage it. But still, you can forgive it. That will take but moments yet it will have far-reaching, long-lasting consequences.

Intense love does not measure, it just gives   (Mother Teresa)

We may not all be....

....superstars, but we are all born with the potential to become the great and the good. We can help people around us to lead better lives. We can set shining examples and buck miserable trends. 

All that's required is a little faith, a little effort, and a little willingness to resist the standards that others accept as 'normal'.

Wit is educated insolence  (Aristotle)

We see ourselves as....

....citizens of countries. Yet we are inhabitants of one simple, single, world. That's what this planet is. A tiny blue ball spinning in space. By comparison, the slight matter of a geographical border here or a political boundary there, is surely of little consequence. 

Indeed, whenever our problems seem daunting, it is always helpful to stop and remember how small we are in the vastness of everything. 

Yet though you may be small, you are big too. You matter.

Understanding is a two-way street.   (Eleanor Roosevelt)

So often we can be guilty of.....

....putting two and two together... and making five, can't we! Or twenty-two! Or we decide that one of these twos is a 'minus two' and the other is a 'plus' so when combined, they cancel each other out and make 'nothing.' 

In such weird and wonderful ways, we miss opportunities, even when they are staring us in the face. Or we turn molehills into mountains and perceive daunting problems when we really face only a passing nuisance. 

A sense of perspective is such a precious thing.

Lessons are not given, they are taken.   (Cesare Pavese)

The great majority of us....

....are creatures of habit. We like to know what's expected of us - and what, in this world of constant flux, we can expect to stay the same. To deepen that sense of safety, we adhere to routines. We don't just eat much the same thing for breakfast every day; we nurture opinions and beliefs that we are very reluctant ever to allow ourselves to alter. 

But what if you have become entrenched in an attitude that really, you need to move on from? Life offers you that freedom. Why would you see that as a threat?

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.  (Confucius) 

Do you know what surrounds.....

....the suburban idyll of our normal mindset?  It's a great emotional trading estate with specialist outlets like the Injustice Factory which is just next door to the Self-pity Store.  And there is always a sale on - even a give-away. 

We only have to stop and wonder whether our lot in life is too hard or if someone else is being selfish and, hey presto, there we are at the checkout with trolleys brimful of seething resentment or inconsolable angst. 

You don't have to make either place your destination.

Our best thoughts come from others.  (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

The modern world makes it easy....

... for us all to avoid serious thought. It bombards us with TV and radio shows, adverts and information, sagas and soap-operas, newspapers and internet sites. Then, there's all the junk mail. The phone calls, conversations, the social media interactions. There's almost always someone to talk to... someone to listen to, but rarely is there a chance for what needs to be said. 

A moment's reflection can bring an insight that proves priceless. Don't be so busy that you fail to take it. 

Flowers grow out of dark moments  (Corita Kent)

Nearly 100 years ago....

....the Baptist Pastor, Walter Rauschenbusch, died.  He believed that Christianity, by its nature, is revolutionary; and tried to remind society of this.  He was so right, and probably marginalised for it.  Anyway, I'd best get off my soap-box.  

He also said 'The real joy of life is in its play. Play is anything we do for the joy and love of doing it, apart from any profit, compulsion, or sense of duty. It is the real joy of living.' 

Sometimes we bully ourselves into respecting some kind of an imaginary deadline. And sometimes we feel that something must happen before the crunch point arrives. But no matter what's so urgent or what's seemingly so wrong, it often doesn't hurt to relax a bit - and allow yourself to play a little more.

You do not know what life means when all the difficulties are removed.  (Jane Addams)

The world is full of people....

....who love to irritate other people. They take pleasure in making contentious statements. We know this and guard against it, yet we still fall for the trick. One minute we feel fine - calm, clear and relaxed. The next, someone says something and we are off! Agitated, irritated and upset.

We can expect, to be surrounded as ever, by people who seemingly take delight in being awkward but expect too, everything to be fine as long as you don't take their nonsense too seriously.

No pressure, no diamonds.   (Thomas Carlyle)

Yesterday's source of intense irritation....

....Today's dim, distant and mildly amusing memory. Well, if not today's, certainly tomorrow's... or the day after that. Really, we ought to know better. 

When we are not getting wound up by the silly things that people do or say, we are being bothered by the things they haven't done - or that we wish they'd say! 

Forgiveness is a virtue of the brave.   (Indira Gandhi)

Do you act?.....

....Actors know how to put on a mask and keep wearing it, day after day, week after week. They can provide an impressive impersonation of any character they care to emulate. That's an option open for you, if you really want to put up a pretence. But why should you want to do that? Does it really matter what others think of you? Are issues of superficial status really so important? 

You don't have to be anyone today, other than yourself. And that's the you you are now, not the you that you used to be.

Love is a better teacher than duty.   (Albert Einstein)

Let's hear it for style....

....Who cares about substance? If the presentation is good, why worry about the content? People are too easily influenced by appearance. We like our bankers in suits and our plumbers in overalls. Who cares whether their bonds are backed or their fittings are cheap as long as they look the part. Of course, if the money (or the water) runs out we get keen on credentials. But even then, we seek help from someone wearing an even sharper suit or a smarter set of dungarees. 

Watch for things that look the part but are not as they appear. In the world of experts and in your personal life alike, judge on the basis of actions not words and promises.

Nature is not human hearted  (Lao Tzu)

Most of us like to talk.....

....Few of us like to listen - properly listen. 

Most of us like to dream but few of us want to wake up. 

We may claim that we're keen to see change but often, secretly, we want to leave things as they are. 

We all have selective memories. 

We're all a little insensitive. 

We all, sometimes, say one thing and do another. 

We all make mistakes.  

We should make allowances without making fools of ourselves. 

Try to recognise your own inconsistencies before being mad at someone else for theirs.

We grow small by trying to be great.   (E Stanley Jones)

None of us can rule the world....

....We cannot even rule our own world; although I've seen a few try to and fail without realising it.  So, what can we do? We can develop a more harmonious relationship with the entity or force that is actually doing the ruling. This may or may not give us great influence over the decisions that are made on our behalf. 

It will, though, at least enhance our ability to accept those conditions and to perceive them as opportunities, not impositions. 

We have deep depth.   (Yogi Berra)

Once, two ants were talking....

.....Now there's a novelty.  Anyway,  'Try this,' said the first. 'It is a white crystal with an amazing taste. Humans call it sugar.' 'That's interesting,' said the second ant. 'I've got a white crystal of my own called salt.' 

They decided to swap, but each was worried that he might lose his favourite flavour. So the first ant sneakily took a big mouthful of sugar first. While the second did the same with the salt. Then each said the same. 'There's no difference.' 

So often we run the risk of failing to give something or someone a fair trial.

If there is no struggle, there is no progress.   (Frederick Douglass)

Once, when we wanted to find....

.... our way through the world, we had to follow a little floating needle as it hovered over a circular dial.  (When I was a boy, some shoes had these in the soles.)  Today, we have global positional satellites that can help us determine our precise position. 

What a shame that there has been no equivalent improvement in the quality of the moral compass. We are, for all our technology, no wiser about true rights and wrongs.

We know what we are, but know not what we may be.   (Williiam Shakespeare)

Where do you think....

....you are going? What do you imagine will happen when you get there? Can you be sure that you have selected the best destination? Or perhaps you are just happy to float on the tide of happenstance and just see where the fates take you. 

That's a perfectly fine philosophy as long as somewhere within it, you aren't abdicating a responsibility or hiding from something you would rather not face.

The ignorant mind, with its infinite afflictions, passions, and evils, is rooted in the 

three poisons. Greed, anger, and delusion. (Bodhidharma)